Hardwood floor refinishing, installation, repair

LNL 1500

Filed Under : Floor refinishing by admin

Aug.22,2010

So, here is the story. I was approached by the company that sells a wide range of product and materials that we use to refinish and install hardwoodflooring. Among the other types of poly,they mentioned LNL 1500. They said that this product is even better than two-component Eukula and that it costs less as well.I was intrigued, so I order a gallon of that stuff just to try it out.

First time we used it was over the sealer for the second coat. Everything went pretty well, except for five minutes later, when the poly started to turn milky white. Man,did I get mad! We were sanding the floor all day for this to happen??? We decided to wait and see what’s going to happen when the poly will completely dry and surprisingly all the white stuff disappeared within the next couple of hours and the floors looked beautiful! When we used this stuff on the final coat, nothing like that happened: everything went nice and smooth.

Overall, I think it’s a great product to work with: just like any other water-based polyurethanes, it dries quickly,almost doesn’t smell and just like Eukula, gives you enough time to do whatever you have to do before it dries.You don’t have to add the water in it(unlike two-component Eukula) and it claims protect the floor against the water damage also.

Tags : based, lnl 1500, poly, water

Zinsser Bull’s Eye Sealer

Filed Under : Floor refinishing by admin

Jun.5,2010

The other day we went to get some sealer to the store, where we always shop.We were looking to get the stuff that we use all the time- Lenmar Rapid Seal.Unfortunately the store was out of Lenmar,so we had to look for an alternative. The guys that work there offered us Bull’s Eye. They said that the product was good, as long as we apply it really quickly, because it dries really fast.We ended up buying it: we were curious about this product(we never used it before, although it is not a new stuff to the market) and it costs less, too(I believe the price is a little over $20 per gallon versus Lenmar’s $25 per gallon).

The first thing we noticed, when we opened the can is the smell.This sealer stinks bad!!! I saw a lot of different products, but this one is out of control! There is no way to work with it without a mask: the smell will kill you! I tried to do one room and almost died.

Another thing about Bull’s Eye: when they told us at the store that it dries fast, there weren’t lying! By the time I was done with the room, I could start re-coating it again-the floor was dry! If you are not very familiar with the applicator,then better do it with the brush- it is much slower, but at least you will get a nice result.I used an applicator, and had to run like a racer - otherwise the sealer would dry on me.At the end of the room I felt like I just won a marathon!

The last inconvenient thing about this product: after using it, say goodbye to your brush, or whatever it is that you’re using. Sealer eats it! I was coating a house not a long time ago, and by the time I was done, my brush looked like somebody chewed it!

Now the good.The drying time of Bull’s Eye is obviously inconvenient to apply it, but you can actually re-coat the floor right after you done with it, which is amazing! It blends in pretty well,in case you need to do a touch up in the spot that you missed, gives a nice amber look to the wood, doesn’t lift up the grain of the wood and, most importantly, can be used under water- and oil-based finishes. I wouldn’t use it on the floors that have been stained, though: it could eat up the color(I’m not sure about it, but don’t really want to take a chance).

Overall, I think it’s a good product as long as you have a mask on and good at running.

Tags : apply, Bull's Eye, coat, review, sealer, Zinsser

Floor installation: where to start?

Filed Under : Installation and repair by admin

May.10,2010

To start the installation, we are going to need to choose the starting wall, and make a reference line, using this picture as a hint:

Here you can see that green line goes along with the longest line between the sheets of plywood. We gonna need to refer to this line for accuracy.
Now measure the space from the wall to this reference line on both ends of it and in the middle also. If all measurements are even and the wall is straight itself (which happens quite seldom), then it’s a perfect situation, where you can use a wall as a reference line, and simply start from it, without measuring anything else.
That’s easy. But we’ll stick with the situation which takes place much more often: crooked walls. Take a closer look at the picture below:

Put a row of boards along the starting wall tightly. Measure the space like you did before, and choose the shortest space between reference line and the board. Remember that measurement. Let’s pretend it is 2 feet and 4 inches. Now measure 2 feet and 4 inches twice, on both ends of the reference line towards the starting wall. Mark these two spots with a pencil precisely. And finally snap the line. Time for a break!

Tags : floor, installation, start

A little more about Eukula.

Filed Under : Floor refinishing by admin

Apr.22,2010

I wrote about Eukula in my earlier posts. Now I just wanted to dig a little deeper into it and talk a little more about different Eukula products.

1. Sealer. Eukula produces their own sealer.The main advantages of it: dries fast(within 30 minutes), obviously seals great and pretty easy to apply.Main disadvantages: doesn’t give as rich amber look as Lenmar RapidSeal, you won’t be able to apply an oil-based finish over it, if ,for some reason you changed your mind and decided to go with oil rather then going with water and the biggest disadvantage- it stays tacky, so it is very hard to apply the 2nd coat over it. My personal opinion: use it only if you don’t have any other sealer (sorry, Eukula).

2.One-component yellowing polyurethane. My personal favourite. Easy to apply, dries quickly, gives an oil-based look to your floor, if applied over the right sealer, tough, and like I said earlier, you can actually add water into it without sacrificing the quality of the finish, if you need it to dry slower.With this finish(as well as with any other Eukula finishes) you can finish the job in one day. How cool is that???

3. One-component non-yellowing polyurethane.Almost as good as the previous type of poly. The only difference is, as you can tell from the name, it doesn’t yellow up the floor.You still can use it over the sealer and your floors will still have the amber look, but you have to be very careful, because if you will apply this poly a little thicker, your floors will look white, like you just bleached them.It is obviously the right choice for somebody who wants to pickle the floors.

4. Two-component non-yellowing polyurethane. The toughest stuff.As I mentioned before, great for commercial projects.Please, do not use it without adding the water: this poly dries FAST! On the other hand, if you will add some water into it, the coating will be easy as breeze.

Tags : Eukula, poly, polyurethane, sealer, water-based

Floor installation: the beginning.

Filed Under : Installation and repair by admin

Mar.13,2010

By Broc.

It is time to get to the actual details on the hardwoods installation process. When you have shopped around and finally found the type of hardwood flooring you wanted, it is necessary to have it kept in your house for about two weeks, or at least for a few days. The longer the better, but two weeks is pretty much enough, though. It is done for the purpose of acclimatisation of the wood with your house temperature. This way wood won’t start shrinking later, which would have happened if you’d install it right away. After you have waited enough, it is time to begin the installation process. Clean the area very well, it should be nice and flat, especially for prefinished flooring. Drive down sticking out nails, remove little pieces of stones, and sweep well. Oh, almost forgot: if you’re using the staples, never install on the particle board! It is NOT suitable for holding staples, and later on the floor will move, since particle board doesn’t hold staples and nails very well. Install on the plywood or existing old wooden flooring. If you have a particle board for the sub floor, you need to either remove it or install a plywood on top of it, depending on the clearance issues. So, after preparing the surface, choose the wall you gonna start at. If you’re installing on a plywood, lay the boards preferably across the beams. You can easily determine the way the beams go by looking at the longest nail lines on a plywood, or, if in doubt, you can figure it out by looking at the beams in the basement. If you’re installing on the existing flooring (could be wide pine planks or just worn out hardwoods) always go across it. This way new floor will be more flat and stronger.

Tags : diy, floor, how, installation, to

Hardwood Floor Refinishing

Floor installation, Floor repair

LNL 1500

Zinsser Bull’s Eye Sealer

Floor installation: where to start?

A little more about Eukula.

Floor installation: the beginning.

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